Latest news with #FPO
Hans India
2 days ago
- Business
- Hans India
Subsidised agricultural machinery distributed to farmers in Sathya Sai dist
Puttaparthi: District Collector TS Chetan informed that under 2024–25 scheme, subsidised agricultural machinery worth Rs 1,72,75,038 was distributed to 1,021 farmers across the district. Speaking at the event held on Wednesday at PGRS Meeting Hall in the Collectorate, Chetan stated that equipment such as rotavators, brush cutters, sprayers, threshers, and tillers were distributed through Rythu Samakhya Kendras (RSKs). He urged farmers to make the best use of these government-provided resources. A review meeting was also conducted with representatives of Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs), where the Collector inquired about the ongoing programmes and challenges faced by FPOs. He advised them on strategies to ensure better prices for farmers and explained detailed action plans for future. FPO representatives also submitted their proposals to strengthen the FPO framework in the district. As part of the event, a symbolic mega cheque for Rs 1.72 crore was handed over to farmers. District Agriculture Officer YV Subbarao, Horticulture Officer Chandrasekhar, DRDA PD Narasayya, agricultural development officers, agriculture department officials, FPO representatives, farmers, and leaders of farmers' unions were present.
Time of India
3 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Government to tighten regulations governing seeds, pesticides amid quality-related complaints: Shivraj Singh Chouhan
Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Wednesday said the government plans to tighten regulations governing seeds and pesticides. The government may also look to amend existing laws to ensure the supply of quality agricultural inputs to farmers, added Chouhan while briefing the media about the outcome of the 15-day long Viksit Krishi Sankalp Abhiyan -- a nationwide outreach campaign aimed at engaging with the farming community."We have received numerous complaints regarding sub-standard seeds and pesticides. Therefore, there is a pressing need to strengthen the Seeds Act , and we are actively working in that direction. Our goal is to establish a robust system that ensures farmers have reliable access to high-quality seeds and can fully benefit from them," said campaign was launched on May 29 from Puri, Odisha and concluded on June 12 at Bardoli, Minister noted that several farmers had raised concerns about the quality of seeds and pesticides during the campaign. Chouhan said, based on the feedback, the agriculture ministry has decided to tighten regulations on seeds and pesticides to curb the sale of sub-standard Chaturvedi, Secretary, Department of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, also said on the sidelines of the event that the government is aiming to soon amend the Seeds Act to ensure seed traceability, protect farmers and promote the supply of quality seeds. The Seeds Act, 1966, regulates the quality of seeds available for sale in India. It has been amended several times to enhance seed standards and ensure farmers have access to high-quality planting material.A senior official of the Agriculture Ministry said that the Bill, in this regard, will most likely be introduced during the Winter Session of the Insecticides Act, 1968 would be amended to curb sale of spurious Chouhan said, 'Many valuable suggestions came from our farmers, and we will try to keep them in mind while framing plans and the scope of further strengthening Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) as alternatives to traditional agricultural markets (mandis), Chouhan said the government would revamp existing FPO guidelines and ensure increased funding Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs), Chouhan stated that adequate extension reforms would be implemented to upgrade KVKs as district-level nodal centres. Additionally, new action plans will be introduced to bridge knowledge and skill gaps among briefing the media about the campaign, Chouhan said, 'The Viksit Krishi Sankalp Abhiyan was very successful. We directly engaged with 1.34 crore farmers across 1.43 lakh villages in 721 districts.' He added that a total of 60,281 programmes were conducted, including in tribal, aspirational, and border districts.
Time of India
7 days ago
- General
- Time of India
Millet Magic: How 3,000 farmers sowed life on parched lands in Karnataka
Bengaluru: What began as a modest effort on parched parcels of land, totalling 50-acres, has now grown into a successful agricultural movement, spanning over 2,000 acres across 23 villages in Dharwad and Haveri districts. Nearly 3,000 farmers came together to revive drought-stricken farmlands through cultivation of millets — quietly turning years of adversity into a sustainable success story. This grassroots transformation was triggered by a prolonged five-year drought that devastated the region before 2021. Once dominated by water-intensive crops like soya, Bt cotton, and maize, the area was facing an agrarian crisis. With dwindling yields and incomes, farmers were searching for alternatives. The answer came in the form of millets — climate-resilient, low-input crops that require minimal water. Under the global CROPS4HD (Consumption of resilient orphan crops & products for healthier diets) project, the initiative is being implemented in Karnataka by SWISSAID India in collaboration with Sahaja Samruddha, an NGO promoting agro-biodiversity and organic farming. Six millet varieties — little millet, foxtail millet, barnyard millet, proso, kodo, and browntop — are now widely cultivated, alongside forgotten pulses like horse gram and moth bean, and traditional greens like amaranth. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Trade Bitcoin & Ethereum – No Wallet Needed! IC Markets Start Now Undo Anitha Reddy, director of Crops4HD project in Dharwad, said it's a mindset shift. "We started small, with farmers cultivating millets on just a quarter-acre each. As they saw better yields and reduced risks, confidence grew, and the acreage expanded." To overcome skepticism, demonstration farms played a vital role. Devakumar, retired director of the University of Agricultural Sciences, explained agricultural melas and peer interactions helped farmers. "They saw the crops, interacted with cultivators, and got technical inputs from experts. That changed their perspective." In Nov 2022, 2,000 farmers came together to form Devadanya Farmer Producer Company, which now includes 5,000 members. The collective helps farmers access seeds, training, and better markets while promoting soil and water conservation. "With support from FPO, our input costs have dropped by up to 12%, and profits are finally visible," said Eshwaryagowda B Patil, a farmer and FPO director. As Krishna Prasad of Sahaja Samruddha put it, "We're not just growing crops, we're cultivating resilience, confidence, and a more sustainable future for farming. " Display at Beejotsava A two-day seed festival kicked off Saturday in Bengaluru, organised by Institution of Agricultural Technologists along with Sahaja Samrudha, featuring participation from over 200 seed conservators across Karnataka and other states. Along with Devadanya FPO, there are 30 other stall exhibits, which include 100+ varieties of millets, over 1,000 paddy varieties, legumes, root crops, greens, and vegetables, including Bengal's pulses, Odisha's rice varieties, and tuber crops from Kerala's Wayanad region. Follow more information on Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad here . Get real-time live updates on rescue operations and check full list of passengers onboard AI 171 .
The Hindu
13-06-2025
- Business
- The Hindu
Totapuri mango farmers fear produce will wither soon if not procured
The woes of mango farmers especially the Totapuri variety keep increasing with no solution in sight. The fruits are ripe and ready for harvest, but with scores of fruit pulp making units across Tirupati and Chittoor districts reluctant for procurement, owing to stock piled up over the last two years, the fruit is likely to wither any moment. Totapuri (locally called 'Bengalura') variety is grown on 50,000 hectares in the undivided Chittoor district and the yield is pegged at a whopping six lakh tonnes this year. At a joint meeting held with mango pulp unit representatives, farmer leaders and 'Mandi' owners recently, district Collectors Sumit Kumar (Chittoor) and S. Venkateswar (Tirupati) announced procurement of mangoes from farmers at ₹12 per kg. After the factories sounded an alarm, the government chipped in with a support price of ₹4/kg, requiring the factories to pay ₹8/kg. The farmers usually dispose the produce by directly supplying to the factories, to the nearest Mandi, at the ramps (one-stop purchase points where the produce is loaded directly into waiting trucks), and at the nearest Farmer Producer Organisation (FPO), who, in turn supply to the factories. The government had deployed officials at the factories, ramps, FPOs and Mandis to take details of the farmers and the quantum of supply. Despite such foolproof measures, the factories have reportedly insisted on a quick-fix solution to the piled up pulp before throwing their gates open to the incoming produce. The agitated farmers on Wednesday (June 11) had staged a protest over the district machinery's inability to implement its orders on mango procurement at Damalacheruvu junction on Chittoor-Kurnool national highway. Meanwhile, some factories had partially opened their gates to purchase mangoes, but at a paltry ₹5 per kg and not the mandatory ₹8/kg. 'At ₹5, we will not get even the cost incurred towards harvesting and transporting the yield to the factories', rued a farmer Goduguchinta Ravindra. While there are ramps that load fruits into waiting trucks bound to northern States, there is lack of clarity on how to secure the farmer's (beneficiary) details and account for this supply. 'If we are paid for supplying to ramps, much stock will be cleared in no time', says B. Dhananjaya Naidu, a mango supplier for three decades.
Time of India
05-06-2025
- General
- Time of India
Women in a Bokaro village turn barren land into mango orchard, rake in moolah
1 2 Bokaro: The women of Kathal Tola in Hesim village, a tribal dominated hamlet in Bokaro's Kasmar block, have turned a barren landscape into a fertile mango orchard with the help of several state assistance schemes. For the women, life changed for the better in 2015 when they began planting mango saplings in a five-acre land in their village with the assistance of MGNREGS, Jharkhand State Livelihood Promotion Society (JSLPS) and a few NGOs. The hilly terrain of Hesim offered little in terms of irrigation or soil fertility, but through collective effort and guidance, the women turned the impossible into a thriving success. Information about the state govt's Birsa Harit Gram Yojana reached the women through MGNREGS at the panchayat level. Under this initiative, the women received training, saplings, and were assured access to markets for their produce. Previously, lack of fair pricing and proper markets left farmers disheartened. "In 2025, we sold more than 15 quintals of mangoes through Grameen Harit Kranti Farmer Producer Company, our own establishment which was formed under the FPO scheme of Nabard. This not only brought in significant income but also enhanced our social standing. Our mangoes were never valued earlier. Now they are special," Shravani Devi, a woman from the village, said. Besides mangoes, the women now practice mixed farming and grow sweet potatoes, vegetables, and kurthi based on annual crop planning. Many women, especially from the Santoshi Mahila Mandal, are now earning Rs 45,000 to Rs 55,000 annually and actively participating in family decisions. "The way these tribal women have become self-reliant is truly inspiring. It shows the power of convergence between govt schemes and community effort. Their journey is as a beacon of Nari Shakti (women power)," Bokaro deputy commissioner Ajay Nath Jha said, lauding the efforts of the women.
